Regents Roundup

By Anthony Guarnieri, Facilities and OperationsPeter Logan,University Housingand Kevin Brown, The University Record

Renovations planned at UM-Dearborn

Approximately 11,000 gross square feet of space in the Academic Support Center will be renovated to create faculty and staff offices for the Natural Science Department, computing labs, student study areas, and completely replace the fire detection and alarm system in the building. The $3.54 million project will be funded from University of Michigan-Dearborn resources and is scheduled to be completed in the winter of 2015.

In the Science Building Computing Wing, approximately 10,000 gross square feet will be renovated to create three physics laboratories and one chemistry laboratory, an electronics repair shop, and provide a comprehensive update to the Science Learning Center. The $4.82 million project is scheduled for completion in the winter of 2015 and will be funded from UM-Dearborn resources.

UMHS plans leasehold improvements

To support the upcoming fundraising campaign, a project is planned to improve existing leased space and expand into additional space for the development and alumni relations offices of the U-M Health System. The project is estimated to cost $1,498,560 and will be funded from Health System resources. Construction is scheduled to be completed next fall.

Sale of property planned in tech park

U-M will sell approximately 51 acres of vacant land in the Ann Arbor Technology Park to NSF International, an accredited non-profit third-party certification body that tests and certifies products to verify that they meet public health and safety standards. The land will be used to expand NSF International’s facility adjacent to the parcels on Dixboro Road. NSF International has collaborated with the university for approximately 70 years, working to improve environmental health, safety and hygiene standards throughout the world, and has provided extensive support to the university through endowed student scholarships, an endowed chair in the School of Public Health, and funded many research projects at the university. The property will be sold for the appraised value of $3.52 million, with the university to retain mineral rights and be granted the right of first opportunity to acquire the property.

Regents approve name change for Division of Student Affairs

The Board of Regents Sept. 19 approved Student Life as the new name for the Division of Student Affairs, effective Oct. 1.

In the recommendation to the regents, Vice President for Student Affairs E. Royster Harper explained that Student Life better describes the core work of the division, which encompasses the many aspects of a student’s life. The programs and services provided by the units within the organization are grounded in transformative learning experiences; community, intercultural and personal development; social justice, health and well-being education; intervention, support and advocacy.

“In conversations with Michigan students, staff, and parents, Student Life resonates and excites,” Harper said. “Further, Student Life creates a clearer and more meaningful connection in our communications with diverse audiences outside the institution. This will be important to the success of our outreach in the current capital campaign and to enable future efforts to connect, inspire, and build community both within and beyond the university.”

Retirements

Barbara A. DeWolfe, curator in the William L. Clements Library, effective July 5. DeWolfe joined the Clements Library in 1999. She transformed the Manuscripts Division by reorganizing the unit and significantly reducing the backlog of unprocessed collections. She successfully sought grants, wrote for Clements Library publications, and prepared exhibits. DeWolfe has edited, authored, or co-authored a number of books and articles including “Discoveries of America: Personal Accounts of British Emigrants to America During the Revolutionary Era.” During her time as research associate at Harvard University she assisted Professor Bernard Bailyn with “Voyagers to the West: A Passage in the Peopling of America on the Eve of the Revolution,” winner of the 1987 Pulitzer Prize in History.

Belinda Davis Lazarus, professor of education in the School of Education, UM-Dearborn, effective June 30. She joined the UM-Dearborn faculty in 1991. Lazarus’s scholarly work focused on special education with emphasis on the areas of effective instructional practices, technology for persons with disabilities, virtual K-12 schools, and attitudes towards reading expressed by students with learning disabilities. She authored numerous publications in leading refereed journals. As coordinator of the special education program she developed innovative undergraduate and graduate curricula. Lazarus also shared her time and expertise on campus committees and initiatives. She was a frequent invited lecturer and actively involved in professional organizations. Lazarus received the City of Detroit’s Outstanding Service Award in 1998 and the Foundation for Creative Dispute Resolution Award in 2006.

Susan C. McDonough, research associate professor and adjunct associate professor of social work in the School of Social Work, and associate research scientist in the Center for Human Growth and Development, effective May 31. She joined the faculty in 1992. McDonough’s research focused on the environmental, familial and social factors that influence the mental health of infants and young children. Her work sought to develop innovative and preventative interventions to improve parent-child relationships and the mental health of children. Many of her articles appeared in major peer-reviewed journals. McDonough was a frequent invited lecturer and actively involved in national professional societies. She helped establish the Committee for Children and the Welcome Back Veterans Initiative, which developed models for service delivery to veterans and their families.

Dr. Edward J. McGuire, Reed Nesbit Professor of Urology and professor of urology in the Medical School, effective June 30. He served on the faculty in 1983-92, and returned in 1999 to serve as head of the Neurourology and Pelvic Reconstructive Surgery Division. An internationally recognized scholar, McGuire’s research focused on leak point pressure, surgical corrections of lower urinary tract dysfunction, neural conditions that impact bladder and urethral function, and the treatment of incontinence. His pioneering work has led to the development of therapies now regarded as the standard of care. McGuire authored more than 250 peer-reviewed publications, eight books and 88 book chapters. He was a frequently invited lecturer. His awards have included the Urodynamics Society’s Lifetime Achievement Award, the American Foundation for Urologic Disease’s F. Brantley Scott, M.D. Award, and the American Urologic Association’s Hugh Hampton Young Award.

Thomas E. Powers, Johanna Meijer Magoon Principal Archivist and archivist in the Bentley Historical Library, effective Dec. 31, 2012. Powers joined the university in 1968. He oversaw the acquisition, processing, and cataloguing of more than 24,000 linear feet of historical material that has been added to the collections. His stewardship of the collection has led to the acquisition of the papers of every Michigan governor since G. Mennen Williams. Powers provided guidance to each governor on the selection of materials for the archives and orchestrated the arrangement and description of these collections. His expertise in collection management were documented in a journal article co-authored by Mark Greene and Dennis Meissner. Powers embraced new and transformative technologies, managed the digital conversion of the card catalog, and oversaw the conversion of finding aids to Encoded Archival Description.

John R.C. Wheeler, professor of health management and policy in the School of Public Health, faculty associate in the Survey Research Center, the Institute for Social Research, and faculty associate and professor of pediatrics and communicable diseases in the Medical School, effective July 31. Wheeler joined the faculty in 1977. His research on Medicare’s endstage renal disease payment program influenced reforms expected to save the Medicare program $900 million annually. More recently, Wheeler studied the economics of vaccine research and development. His research endeavors have resulted in more than 100 peer-reviewed journal articles. Under his leadership as chair, the Department of Health Management and Policy achieved national recognition as the top health administration program in the country by U.S. News & World Report. Wheeler also received the Association of University Programs in Health Administration Gary L. Filerman Prize for Educational
Leadership.